


Injection

by sciencebutch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Angst, Forgotten tea, M/M, steve mentions the super soldier serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 08:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14930792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencebutch/pseuds/sciencebutch
Summary: "Good becomes great, bad becomes worse."





	Injection

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in 2 hours don't @ me  
> this was inspired by the thorbruce discord uwu

Steve was sat at the counter when Bruce walked into the communal kitchen. Sunbeams fell through the window, illuminating the dust moats hanging in the air and setting Steve’s hair alight in a golden flame. He absentmindedly bit into an apple while scrolling through something on his Stark Tablet. Steve’s eyes were young and bright, and they glanced up at him in greeting as Bruce padded to the fridge, cold tile chilling his feet.

“Good morning, Dr. Banner,” he said. His stare was intense and focussed like a laser, and his voice was bold and strong like an orchestra. Bruce could feel his attention on him as he rummaged through the freezer for some frozen waffles.

“Oh,” Bruce paused his forage to look at Steve, “good morning.” His eyes were deep brown and dull, old and wary. His voice was void of confidence.

Steve went back to reading whatever was on his tablet. Bruce popped two waffles into the toaster. He boiled water while they were heating up, and retrieved some chai tea from the cabinet. 

Bruce yawned, stretching his arms over his head. His shirt rode up and exposed some of his soft midriff. The toaster dinged, loud and sudden, and he flinched. Steve pretended to not notice, but Bruce caught the look in his eyes. He was a scientist, an observer, how could he not? How could he not see the pitying glances that were cast his way when he jumped like a startled animal, or how someone’s face briefly twisted with worry when he walked by? 

Of course, he held none of it against them, he wholly understood why they would feel that way.

He understood why they thought of him as a monster, as something to be feared. After all, he had always thought the same of himself.

A self-deprecating smile marred his face as he got a plate. 

He removed the waffles from the toaster. They burned his hands, but he didn’t put them down. Instead, he gripped them tighter. He cast an apathetic glance towards the pads of his fingers that were rapidly turning pink.  _ You deserve this, you deserve this, you deserve this-- _

“Dr. Banner, are you alright?”

His attention was brought to Steve, and his neck turned so swiftly he almost got whiplash. Steve looked at him, eyes laced with concern. Bruce dropped the waffles onto the plate, and realized that his hands were trembling.

He smiled as if there was nothing to worry about (which there _ wasn’t _ ), and replied nonchalantly, covering the slight waver in his voice.

“Of course.” 

The tense moment was disturbed by Clint and Thor entering the kitchen. The former was wearing a worn white undershirt and boxers. The latter donned a matching set of flannel pajamas, and the sleeves were almost too tight for his muscled arms. None of them seemed completely awake. Clint immediately headed to the coffee machine. Thor grabbed the carton of strawberries that was in the fridge and began eating the fruit whole, leaves and all.

“Hey Thor, you do know that you aren’t supposed to eat the leaves, right?” Steve asked, amusement clear in his voice.

“I am aware,” Thor’s voice was gravelly, especially in the morning, and it reminded Bruce of thunder, distant and soft. 

“Oh,” was all Steve said in reply before silence fell once more. 

Bruce put a teabag in a mug and grimaced when he noticed the angry face of the Hulk that was painted onto the ceramic. _ Haha, Tony,  _ he thought sarcastically, as he turned the cup until the acid green was obscured from his view. 

The tired quiet that hovered in the kitchen broke as Clint began to speak. “Hey Cap,” he started, “can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” Steve obliged. Bruce poured boiling water onto the tea bag and started counting down from 60 seconds as the tea steeped. His back faced his teammates as he stared out the window, watching the cramped streets of New York.  _ 60...59...58...57...56...55... _

“How exactly does the super soldier serum work?”  _ Forty-six--  _

Bruce’s shoulders tensed.  _ F-forty seven... _

“I don’t really know the details,” Steve mused, “so I don’t really know the mechanics of it, but Dr. Erskine described it as…”  _ Thirty-six…thirty--please don’t say it--five… _

“Good becomes great and bad becomes worse.”

And there they were: the words that haunted him at night, that resounded through his mind and contaminated his dreams. The reminder that Bruce was the bad that became worse.

Bruce paled. He dared not move. His breathing became wild and uncontrollable, and he tried to tie it down, tame it, smother it.  _ Thirty...t-twenty-nine... _

“Basically, it intensifies what’s inside of you by three.” Steve continued, not noticing the stress radiating off of Bruce.

“That’s pretty cheesy, Cap,” Clint replied, voice light. 

“Well, that’s what I was told, Barton.”

The two remained oblivious of Bruce’s inner turmoil. Tears began to bloom in his eyes, so he scrunched them shut so as to keep them from falling. His hands clutched the edges of the counter in a grip of iron. He could feel the green bleed out of his mind and into his veins. It felt cold and hot at the same time.

“Banner, are you alright?” Thor asked, voice full of worry. 

Bruce’s eyelids opened of their own volition, and a tear trailed down his cheek and onto the granite countertop. It dawned on him that his knuckles had turned green, a poisonous color that one could trace through his arteries. His eyes felt hot, and Bruce didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that they were glowing green. He chose not to respond to the god; not trusting his throat to not choke out a sob. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

“...Oh,” Steve’s voice was heavy with guilt, “Dr. Banner, I didn’t realize--” at those words, the anger burst through him, white-hot and fiery. Not anger at Steve, no, anger at himself. Anger at himself for being so damn angry all the time. A laugh, low and dangerous and self-deprecating, escaped his lips.

“Didn’t realize that the ‘bad’ you were talking about was in the room with you the whole time?” He had to restrain himself from yelling, so he spoke at a deadly whisper. 

No one said anything. Seconds passed like centuries. Tension settled in the room, thick as cream.

“Banner,” Thor said, voice calm, “I--”

Bruce took a deep breath and released his tenacious grip on the granite countertop. He pasted a false smile on his face and turned around to face everyone. He saw the green of his eyes reflected in Steve’s blue ones. 

“I’m fine, no need to worry about me.” 

Bruce walked out of the kitchen, forgetting all about the tea steeping on the counter.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr!


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